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The mummy of Tutankhamen will be CT-scanned to try to uncover how the pharaoh died a teenager more than 3000 years ago, Egypt's chief archaeologist announced.

Dr Zahi Hawass said that by the end of the month the mummy will be taken from his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, where it was discovered in 1922 by U.K. archaeologist Howard Carter, and flown to Cairo's Egyptian Museum for analysis.

The mummy consists of "scattered bones", Hawass said. It was largely damaged by Carter's team, when sharp tools were used to remove his gleaming gold-and-blue death mask.

The 3D x-rays should solve forever the mystery of whether King Tut was murdered or died of natural causes, and provide new insights into his real age and the diseases he might have had, said Hawass.

King Tut, the best-known pharaoh of ancient Egypt, has been puzzling scientists ever since his mummy- and treasure-packed tomb was discovered.

Only a few facts about his life are known. Tutankhamen, "the living image of Amun", ascended the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine, and reigned until his death at 17 or 18. He was a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, probably the greatest of the Egyptian royal families.

Many archaeologists have tried to solve the mystery

Archaeologists last opened Tutankhamen's tomb in 1968, when U.K. scientist Professor Ronald Harrison took a series of x-rays. The radiographs revealed a bone fragment in his skull, prompting speculation that a blow to the head killed the boy pharaoh.

But recent studies suggested the pharaoh could have easily died from poor health.

"Our critical review of the skull and cervical spine radiographs of Tutankhamen does not support proposed theories of a traumatic or homicidal death."

Boyer's closer re-examination of the 1968 x-rays revealed an abnormal curvature of the spine and fusion of the upper vertebrae.

This is a condition associated with scoliosis and a rare disorder called Klippel-Feil syndrome, which makes people look as if they have a short neck.

The disorder, which is also associated with anomalies of the kidneys, heart and nervous system, could have left King Tut very fragile and at risk of fatal spinal cord injury from a simple push or a minor fall.

Indeed, about 130 walking sticks found among his fabulous treasure would support the theory King Tut may have needed a cane to support himself or to help him walk.

"While it's possible his Klippel-Feil syndrome was an isolated problem, it is more likely that Tutankhamen had other congenital problems associated with it that would have affected not only his appearance, but his overall health and function," said Assistant Professor Steven Theiss, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham's orthopaedic surgery division.

The forthcoming CT scans promise to solve most of all the unanswered questions about the pharaoh.

"Before the beginning of 2005, the question of King Tut will be answered and his mummy will be restored," Hawass said.